Can Organized Jewish Life Survive in the Age of Millennials? Wexner Heritage Summer

Transcription

1 Can Organized Jewish Life Survive in the Age of Millennials? Wexner Heritage Summer

2 It s all micro-trends & customization 2 Whereas in the Ford economy, the masses were served by many people working to make one, uniform product, in the Starbucks economy, the masses are served by a few people working to make thousands of customized, personalized products (Micro Trends). Ford Economy Starbucks Economy

3 Everything is changing 3 Only 31% of American Jews belong to a synagogue Over 51% of Millennial Jews have only one Jewish parent Only 50% of American Jews have had a bar or bat mitzvah ceremony Americans overwhelmingly think that religious organizations are too concerned with money and power, too focused on rules and too involved in politics. Millennials are the most distrustful generation ever recorded they don t want mega organizations - they want intimate, customized, challenging and high impact experiences 94% of American Jews have positive feelings about Judaism

4 Fast chat 4 Given some of the changing trends and current demographic realities in both American life and Jewish life, how is the model of organizational Jewish life poised to succeed and in what ways is it unprepared for these changes?

5 We Need a New Language 5 There is no such thing as THE Jewish Community How was God s voice heard at Sinai? Each and every one according to their strength: Whether it was the elders, the young people, the children, the infant and even Moses, each heard God s voice according to their own strength (Shemot Rabbah 5:9)

6 Empowerment vs. Engagement 6 Empowerment Jews Spend more time with Jews (friends, work, neighborhood) Seek out organized Jewish life Long Jewish organizational resumes Feel comfortable in formal Jewish settings Show-up b/c they want something Engagement Jews Spend less time with Jews (friends, work, neighborhood) Less interested in organized Jewish life Short Jewish organizational resumes Feel uncomfortable in formal Jewish settings Show-up b/c they need something Developed by Rabbi Mike Uram - Next Generation Judaism -

7 Engagement Means Possibility 7 Engagement Jews 85% 15% Empowerment Jews

8 Two Jewish Worlds 8 Different Jewish stories Different Jewish resumes Different language Different social networks Different neighborhood How do we bridge the gap?

9 Applying this to real life 9 1.What is your organization s experience with millennials? What, if any, strategies have you used to engage them? 2.How does your organization balance building Jewish life in a macro-community model and a microcommunity model? 3.Given that millennials want to be co-creators, what steps could an organization take to unlock the power of social networks to do for themselves?

10 Program or Centralized Model 10 Client Client Client Success is measured by Number of clients Size of organization Retention of clients Client Organization or professional Client Client Client Client

11 Engagement or Networked Model 11 Success is measured by Transforming clients into creators Number of relationships activated Connectivity between clusters Jewish impact

12 Passover Paradigm Vs. High Holiday Paradigm 12

13 Two different operating systems 13 Different staff Different brand Different methodology Different donors Different culture Vs.

14 The Proof 11 New Initiatives 329 new leadership positions 3,865 events 10,709 total students engaged 1,496 unique students $650,000 in new fundraising 14

15 15 Additional Slides

16 Measuring Impact; Not Attendance 16 Positive Jewish memory Jewish knowledge Jewish selfconfidence Connectedness to other Jews

17 Swirl of Engagement Developed by Rabbi Mike Uram - Next Generation Judaism - 17

18 Program Model vs Engagement Model 18 Program model tends to be about Engagement model is more about Recruitment Relationships What the organization needs What people need What the organization can do for people What people can do for themselves Programs and attendance Peer engagement & community building The health of the organization The vibrancy of Jewish life Centralized organizations run by professional leadership Networked organizations run by distributed leadership Who shows up Going out and finding people Centralized macro-community Networked micro-communities

19 Measuring Jewish Growth 19 Grow-Explore Grow-Mature (Own) Create Discover

20 Coffee Chat Template Investigation 1. Validation 1. Provocation 1. Investigation -Developed by R. Joel Nickerson: Penn Hillel